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Pastor Jeremiah Saunders poses for a photo among the ruins of his church that was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian, in High Rock, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Wednesday Sept. 11, 2019. Jeremiah says "I spoke to the water: 'Peace, be still.' It never listened," Saunders said with a wide smile and then grew serious as he focused on the task that tens of thousands of Bahamians now face on two islands devastated by the Category 5 storm: the clean-up. Ramon Espinosa, AP

Nassau resident Sandra Ferguson, 55, right, embraces her brother, Dereck Bain, 46, and their sister Judy Rolle, 51, in Marsh Harbour on Abaco in the Bahamas on Sept. 5, 2019 after a nerve-wracking trip to the disaster left behind by Hurricane Dorian. Ferguson and Rolle couldn't reach their brother via cell phone and flew to the island in hopes they could find him. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

A road is flooded during the passing of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 2, 2019. Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 4 assault that forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes. Tim Aylen, AP

Submerged car sit submerged in water from Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019. Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward after being stationary over the Bahamas, where its relentless winds have caused catastrophic damage and flooding. Ramon Espinosa, AP

A family is escorted to a safe zone after they were rescued as rain from Hurricane Dorian continues in Freeport, Bahamas, on Sept. 3, 2019. The center of Hurricane Dorian is finally moving away from Grand Bahama island but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says the island will continue getting dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge through the evening. Ramon Espinosa, AP

A man who was trapped by flood waters from Hurricane Dorian is transported out of the area by volunteers on a jet ski near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019. Ramon Espinosa, AP

A resident takes photos of a plane destroyed by Hurricane Dorian on the side of a road in the Pine Bay neighborhood, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, in Freeport, Bahamas, on Sept. 4, 2019. Ramon Espinosa, AP

Catherine Russel is greeted by loved ones after arriving at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas with other survivors of Hurricane Dorian from Abaco Island on Sept. 4, 2019. Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images

Debris blankets the landscape in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019. The storm’s devastation has come into sharper focus as the death toll climbed to 20 and many people emerged from shelters to check on their homes. Michael Weissenstein, AP

A USCG Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew evacuates Hurricane Dorian displaced adults and children to safety, in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 5, 2019. Hunter Medely, US Coast Guard, AFP/Getty Images

A home is flooded after Hurricane Dorian had made landfall to the island Great Abaco, Bahamas on September 5, 2019. International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Handout, EPA-EFE

A girl pretends to make a phone call on a toy telephone set while her mom checks her real cell phone to see if service has been restored in Marsh Harbour, on Abaco, in the Bahamas, following the passage of Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 6, 2019. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network

Jake Gillanders, the executive director of the EMPACT SAR team from the United States, briefs members of the team before deploying at Treasure Cay on Abaco in The Bahamas on Sept. 6, 2019. EMPACT, a nonprofit SAR team based in the Pacific Northwest, works with local agencies or governments to supplement existing resources, and is supported solely by donations. Members, who include a doctor, an architect, a nurse and several firefighter/paramedics, have deployed around the world to assist with disasters, including Haiti and the Philippines. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network

A group of Hurricane Dorian survivors wait to load an evacuation plane leaving Treasure Cay airport, the sole functioning landing site on Abaco, which was devastated by the storm. Airlines were evacuating kids, the sick and the elderly first, and were cancelling existing reservations to do so on Sept. 6, 2019. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network

Mark Baker and Theresa Roach pick their way through debris on their way back to Baker's condo on Treasure Cay on Sept. 6, 2019. Baker's was one of the few homes left virtually untouched by Hurricane Dorian. Baker offered his home to a search-and-rescue team to use as a base area. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network

Barbara Key hugs Herald Malone after seeing him again after Hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island on Sept. 7, 2019 ion Elbow Key Island, Bahamas. The official death toll has risen to 43 and according to officials is likely to increase even more. Jose Jimenez, Getty Images

Crew members from Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas unload food packages as part of the company's disaster relief operation to bring relief supplies and 20,000 daily meals to the Freeport, Bahamas community, in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 7, 2019. The island was one of the first to get hit by Hurricane Dorian after she turned in to a category 5 hurricane. Cristobal Herrera, EPA-EFE

Residents work on a roof in the "mud" neighborhood of Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, on Sept. 7, 2019, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Bahamians who lost everything in the devastating passage of Hurricane Dorian were scrambling Saturday to escape the worst-hit islands by sea or by air, after the historically powerful storm left at least 43 people dead with officials fearing a "significantly" higher toll. Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images

Hurricane Dorian evacuee Cecil Grant cradles his sleeping daughter, Yalissa, 7 months old, while he makes a phone call at a shelter in Nassau, the Bahamas, a day after fleeing their longtime home on Abaco after the storm destroyed their house and much of the surrounding community. USA TODAY

Shakeem Wallace, center, was among more than 100 people looking for supplies outside the gates of the Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 9, 2019. Kinfay Moroti, The News-Press via USA TODAY Network

A woman holds a baby to be attended at a tent-hospital setup by Samaritans Purse in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019. Thousands of hurricane survivors are facing the prospect of starting their lives over but with little idea of how or where to even begin. Ramon Espinosa, AP

A member of a Florida search and rescue team marks a house clear after searching it for bodies in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas on Sept. 10, 2019, one week after Hurricane Dorian. Bahamas authorities have updated the death toll from Hurricane Dorian to 50 with the number expected to climb, local media reported, as thousands are evacuated from the archipelago's hardest-hit islands. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/Getty Images

Mary Glinton burns clothes damaged by Hurricane Dorian in Mclean's Town, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Wednesday Sept. 11, 2019. She created three piles of clothes stiffened by mud and water and set them on fire. A white lace curtain, a bright pink wind breaker and an old pair of black pants would soon go up in flames. She most lamented that all her church clothes were ruined. ( Ramon Espinosa, AP

At 2 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the storm's center was about 30 miles northeast of Freeport Grand Bahama Island. It has barely budged from that position since Monday afternoon.

But its wind speeds lessened slightly to 120 mph with higher gusts. That was down from 130 mph Monday evening.

Some areas could see up to 2 feet of rain, and storm surge could reach 23 feet, forecasters warned. Heavy rains capable of creating life-threatening flash floods over the northern part of the Bahamas are expected through Friday.

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In the Bahamas, at least five people have died and thousands of homes are in ruins, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said.
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Emergency responders were already overwhelmed. An estimated 13,000 homes have been destroyed, according to the Salvation Army, which has volunteers stationed in the group of islands.

Power and communications outages made damage assessment difficult. The few videos that have emerged from the Abaco Islands show destroyed homes, flooded roads and residents pleading for help and prayers.

Florida and the U.S. East Coast remain a target. The storm, which was 100 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida early Tuesday morning, will move "dangerously close" to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday night, the center said. Dorian is forecast to turn toward the northwest, roaring parallel to Florida about 30 to 40 miles offshore, before continuing north along the East Coast deep into the week.

Dangerous surge and hurricane winds are expected on parts of Florida's east coast and the coastal South Carolina and Georgia, the center said Monday evening. The risk of life-threatening surge in North Carolina continues to increase.

Heavy rains that could cause flooding are expected in the lower Mid-Atlantic and the coastal Southeast of the United States through Friday as well.

That gap remains right on the edge of delivering the worst of Dorian to the Florida coastline. Center Director Ken Graham stressed that the state's east coast will be dealing with wind, rain and storm surge as high as 7 feet through Wednesday.

"No matter the track, no matter the characteristics of the storm, the water's coming, so please just everyone listen to the local officials," Graham said. "Remember water can rise a lot earlier before the storm gets there. This is life and death."

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency and was being briefed regularly about what he called a "monstrous" storm.

“I spoke with President Trump. He’s fully engaged in this," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Monday. "He just reiterated that he’s going to provide any resources we need to weather Dorian.”

DeSantis said all coastal counties have issued evacuation orders, and 72 nursing homes have been evacuated. More than 4,000 members of the state National Guard have been called up, and power companies are prepared to dispatch 17,000 personnel to combat outages.

The hurricane center said wind gusts exceeded 220 mph when the storm made landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon. The winds matched the records set by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, which tore through the Florida Keys, killing more than 400 people in the days before hurricanes were given names.

"This is probably the saddest and worst day for me to address the Bahamian people," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Sunday. "We are facing a hurricane that we have never seen in the Bahamas. Please pray for us."

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View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

View images from the Spring City, a town located in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbor Airport, was flattened by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday and Monday. These photos were taken by Spring City resident Brandisha Adderley, who lives in Spring City with her grandmother Monica Adderley. "We are all OK physically," Brandisha said. "Still winds and rain. Major flooding. Not a dry place to lay." Brandisha Adderley/Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

Brandisha Adderley, 29, center, poses for a photo with relatives on Sept. 4, 2019. To her left is her stepmother, Nakia. Behind her is Thomas Adderley, Nakia's husband and Brandisha's father. On the far right is Kaylen Adderley, Thomas and Nakia's son. The photo was taken in the town of Spring City on Abaco in the Bahamas where Hurricane Dorian battered the landscape. Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

Monica Adderley, 67, sorts through the ruble of what used to be her home on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. She is looking to salvage personal items like the pots and pans at her feet. Her home was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

Brandisha Adderly, 29, center, poses for a photo with relatives on Sept. 4, 2019. To her left is her step-mother, Nakia. Behind her is Thomas Adderley, Nakia's husband. On the far right is Kaylen Adderley. The photo was taken in the town of Spring City on Abaco in the Bahamas where Hurricane Dorian battered the landscape. Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

Monica Adderley, 67, holds a family photo on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. She is a resident in the town of Spring City on Abaco in the Bahamas. Her home was destroyed by Category 5 Hurricane Dorian. Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

Monica Adderley, a resident of the town of Spring City on Abaco in the Bahamas, looks through debris from personal items on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. Spring City, located five miles south of Marsh Harbour Airport, was decimated by Hurricane Dorian. Special to USA TODAY Network-Florida

The only recorded storm that was more powerful was Hurricane Allen in 1980, with 190 mph winds, though it did not make landfall at that strength.

Dorian made landfall in Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas around noon Sunday, then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco at 2 p.m. The raging winds wrought destruction and terrified islanders who sought shelter in schools, churches and other facilities.

"It's devastating," said Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. "There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure."

Florida, Georgia, Carolina coasts

The storm was about 100 east of West Palm Beach, Florida. In Jupiter, 20 miles to the north, rain pelted Michael Schrimsher's bright yellow slicker. Dorian-driven waves crashed into the Jupiter Beach Park jetty under gray skies.

"I think everybody's a little worried," Schrimsher said. "We have a concrete house. But this one's a little scary."

After rolling up along the Florida coast, the hurricane was forecast to track near the Georgia and Carolina coasts late this week.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered mandatory evacuation of his state's entire coast effective Monday. The order covers about 830,000 people, and state troopers planned to make all lanes on major coastal highways one-way heading inland.

"We can't make everybody happy, but we believe we can keep everyone alive," McMaster said.

A few hours later, Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, ordered evacuations for that state's Atlantic coast, also starting at midday Monday.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned his state that it could see heavy rain, winds and floods later in the week. Mandatory evacuations of visitors to North Carolina's Outer Banks will begin Tuesday morning, according to government officials from Hyde and Dare counties.

"The time to prepare is now," Coooper warned. "North Carolina must take this seriously."